Half of Washington State Ferries vessels slated for retirement by 2042

The Washington State Ferry Kaleetan will hit the expected end of its service life in 2027, when it will be 60 years old. It's one of 13 vessels in WSF's 27-boat fleet that will need to be retired between now and 2042.(Photo: Larry Steagall / Kitsap Sun)Buy Photo

As many retirees are wont to do, the ferry Evergreen State – 65 years old and now renamed “The Dream” – will soon head to Florida for its later years. In Pensacola, it’ll take up retired life as an event center with space for fine dining.

The 51-year-old “baby ferry" Hiyu is living out its retirement years as a floating event venue on Lake Union and Lake Washington.

Thirteen more vessels will likely join those two most recent retired vessels from Washington State Ferries service over the next two-and-a-half decades. Currently, WSF plans to get about 60 years of service out of its vessels. Those 13 vessels, out of the fleet's total of 23, will hit that age between now and 2042.

Ferries has begun long-range planning work for the system, a process it takes up every 10 years or so. Replacing those vessels, looking into ridership growth projections, demographic changes, terminal upgrades and more flow into the system’s guiding plan.

“The long-range plan looks at the whole system holistically,” said WSF spokeswoman Hadley Rodero. “It’s a blueprint that looks at the fleet and asks how do we maintain and preserve what we have, the terminals and how we preserve and upgrade those, and changes to accommodate different types of riders and drivers.”

The Tillikum and Hyak are first on that projected retirement list, likely in 2019. The next wave would come in 2027, when the Hyak’s “Super”-class sister ferries – Kaleetan, Yakima and Elwha – would hit 60. The system’s two “Jumbo” ferries – Spokane and Walla Walla – would hit that age in 2032 before six vessels – Issaquah, Kittitas, Kitsap, Cathlamet, Chelan and Sealth – retire between 2039 and 2042.

“This is almost like replacing a boat every 18 months from now to the end of the planning horizon (in 2040).”

Ray Deardorf., Washington State Ferries senior planning manager

“This is almost like replacing a boat every 18 months from now to the end of the planning horizon (in 2040),” said WSF senior planning manager Ray Deardorf.

As WSF looks at those aging vessels, it’ll look at factors like size, speed and engine type for their replacements, he said.

“The replacement of those and what kind of vessel we replace them with, both in terms of functionality and in terms of size and the propulsion system, whether we go green right away with some sort of an electric-diesel hybrid or all-electric, that’s going to be a big focus of the plan,” Deardorf said.

Ferries will also look to “green” and quiet its fleet under executive orders from Gov. Jay Inslee that direct the state agency to begin transitioning its vessels to a zero carbon emission fleet and find ways to protect orcas in Puget Sound. WSF has begun to look at converting its Jumbo Mark II ferries to hybrid-electric power.

The system expects its ridership to grow right along with the region’s growth. By 2040, it’s expecting a 30-percent jump over current levels. Deardorf said WSF’s projections have it moving past its previous all-time high – 26.8 million riders in 1999 – by about 2030. In 2018, the system’s vessels carried 24.5 million riders.

The Southworth-Vashon route is projected to see the system’s biggest growth, by about 57 percent from 2017 to 2040. Ridership there is expected to swell from 198,800 riders last year to 311,900 in 2040. Seattle-Bainbridge, the system’s busiest route, is expected to jump by about 34 percent, from 6.5 million riders to 8.8 million in 2040. Edmonds-Kingston is projected to jump from 4 million to 5.9 million, and Seattle-Bremerton is projected to jump from 2.8 million to 3.9 million.

For more information on WSF’s planning efforts, visit wsflongrangeplan.com or attend one of the agency’s upcoming open houses.